THE King will skip a traditional Easter Sunday lunch tomorrow but will go to church in “gentle steps” towards a return after his cancer diagnosis.
Charles is due to make his first public appearance since starting treatment for cancer nearly two months ago.
The 75-year-old will lead the family at Sunday’s service in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
But the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children will miss the event as Kate, 42, is undergoing preventative chemotherapy.
The King has agreed changes to the Royal Family’s traditional Easter diary to protect his health.
Charles and Queen Camilla will walk to and from the chapel entering through the Galilee Porch.
He will be able to wave and greet a small crowd from a distance if the weather is appropriate.
However in an approach called “Easter Lite” he will not attend a post-service reception or host a private family lunch.
The service will see fewer royals than usual to “shield the King from infection risk”.
The King’s seat, as well as Camilla’s, will also be set apart from the rest of the congregation.
Sources describe the plans as “turning the dial” toward the King’s return.
This includes a gradual increase in hosting guests for engagements at Buckingham Palace as summer approaches.
The Royal Family also aims to come together to support Britain’s veterans at the 80th anniversary of D-Day in June, according to The Telegraph.
The King and Queen will take an Easter break after the church service.
Buckingham Palace confirmed the King will attend the traditional church service.
Step by step Easter Sunday schedule
The 75-year-old monarch will attend the traditional Easter Sunday church service at Windsor Castle.
Here is a step by step schedule of how Easter Sunday will play out:
- Charles and Queen Camilla will walk to St George’s Chapel.
- Entering through the Galilee Porch, they will wave and greet a small crowd.
- The King and Queen will take their seats away from the rest of the congregation.
- He is expected to be seen leaving the church with the Queen.
- Charles will then not attend a post-service reception or host a private family lunch.
The Palace said: “Their Majesties the King and Queen, accompanied by other members of the Royal family, will attend the Easter Matins Service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on Easter Sunday.”
It comes after Camilla stood in for King Charles at the Maundy Service at Worcester Cathedral.
Camilla, 76, handed out ceremonial coins to 75 men and 75 women — the number reflecting Charles’ age.
Charles, who was spotted leaving Clarence House in London, recorded a Bible reading and personal message for the congregation.
The King stressed the importance of acts of friendship“especially in a time of need”.
He said how Jesus set an “example of how we should serve and care for each other”.
Charles added as a nation “we need and benefit greatly from those who extend the hand of friendship to us, especially in a time of need”.
Why Charles bravely shared his cancer diagnosis
KING Charles has bravely broken with royal protocol by sharing his cancer diagnosis.
Senior royals have in past been tight-lipped about their health battles.
The last top royal diagnosed with cancer was Charles’s grandfather George VI.
Heavy smoker George had his left lung removed for “structural abnormalities” in September 1951, months before he died.
The “abnormalities” were actually a life-threatening carcinoma, but the public never learned about George’s cancer ordeal.
Buckingham Palace said Charles wanted to share his cancer diagnosis to boost “public understanding” for cancer patients worldwide.
While the King did not directly refer to his and his daughter-in-law’s health, his words will be interpreted as reflecting on the nation’s response to his and Kate’s challenges as they continue treatment for cancer.
The Princess of Wales released an emotional video message last Friday revealing she has started a course of preventative chemotherapy.
She later was said to be “extremely moved” by the public support following her announcement.
Kate faced mounting online conspiracy theories about her whereabouts and her condition after retreating from public view to recuperate following major abdominal surgery in January.
Charles told last month how he had been reduced to tears by the messages and cards of support he received from well-wishers.
The Maundy Service has a very special place in my heart.
King Charles III
The King, who only acceded to the throne 18 months ago, also reaffirmed his Coronation pledge “not to be served but to serve”.
He recorded a Bible reading and, in his brief personal message, he described the Maundy money recipients as “wonderful examples of such kindness” in “giving so much of their lives to the service of others in their communities”.
The King has stepped back from large-scale public duties while receiving outpatient treatment and the Queen deputised for him at the ancient Royal Maundy ceremony on Thursday, a first for a Queen Consort.
Charles was pictured sitting at his desk in Buckingham Palace’s 18th Century Room as he recorded his message in mid-March.
In front of him was a vase filled with spring flowers and two microphones ready to capture his words.
Full text of the King's audio address
“Ladies and Gentlemen, it is, for me, a great sadness that I cannot be with you all today.
“The Maundy Service has a very special place in my heart.
“It has its origin in the life of Our Lord who knelt before his disciples and, to their great surprise, washed their travel-weary feet.
“And, as we have just heard, in doing so he deliberately gave to them and to us all an example of how we should serve and care for each other.
“In this country we are blessed by all the different services that exist for our welfare.
“But over and above these organisations and their selfless staff, we need and benefit greatly from those who extend the hand of friendship to us, especially in a time of need.
“The 150 men and women who have been chosen today to receive the Maundy money from my wife are wonderful examples of such kindness; of going way beyond the call of duty and of giving so much of their lives to the service of others in their communities.
“The act of worship, here in Worcester Cathedral, reminds me of the pledge I made at the beginning of the coronation service – to follow Christ’s example ‘not to be served but to serve’.
“That I have always tried to do and continue to do, with my whole heart.
“It is my special prayer today that Our Lord’s example of serving one another might continue to inspire us and to strengthen all our communities.
“May God bless you all this Easter.”